Somewhere I got the impression that it wasn’t Irish to play whistle harmonies (me playing harmony to someone else’s melody) Is that true and if so how strong is that idea? I always sing harmonies and I got started on the low whistle so I could play along when my daughter plays flute. Now I’ve started going to session and I haven’t heard any harmonies so I was wondering …
It isn’t -traditional- to play harmonies (with the exception of regulators and drones on
uillean pipes), and you really won’t here harmonies for the session tunes. For sessions,
I think there’s a pretty strong feeling that you shouldn’t be harmonizing.
There are exceptions here and there, where whistles and flutes run out of range and have to
‘fold’ a tune (play notes that harmonize with, but aren’t the same as, what the fiddle plays).
But that’s not considered harmonizing.
Also, tunes often have variations where, say, you could play a EDE or an EF#E, and if one
person plays one and another plays the other, you technically have a harmony of first and third on the middle note.
But that’s not considered harmonizing.
However, harmonizing in the tradition of American folk, or in the style of jazz, or whatever, is definitely Not Done for the tunes.
For songs, I think there’s a little more flexibility, but that’s a different jar of whistles.
Certainly on professional recordings, you’ll not hear harmony for the session tunes, but you certainly will (sometimes, at least) for the songs.
Yeah…so when Paddy Moloney and Sean Potts play Banish Misfortune together it’s not considered harmonizing either. Trust me, Bauju, it is really an auditory hallucination. 
Really, though, Chris is right. The hardcore IrTrad folks balk at the idea of harmonizing :roll: . My take is that if overdone it would indeed be offensive but once in awhile it is great fun. And if the purists don’t like it that’s too f***ing bad
Cheers,
David
[quote=“Feadan”] And if the purists don’t like it that’s too f***ing bad
What he said.
By the way, Mr. Feadan should post some of his renditions of Phil Cunningham’s airs on Clips and Snips (or whatever it’s called) because he plays them with heartaching beauty.
Harmonies come in handy when playing along with songs ie, “Whisky in the Jar”.
You’re right Feadan, it is an auditory hallucination, unless a whistle can suddenly play chords. It’s called counterpoint, not harmony.
Please be kind to me and have permission to post copyrighted tunes. I’d love to hear them myself, by the way.
Tony
Counterpoint, AFAIK, is the harmonic combination of two different melodies. Not always the same thing as a simple two part harmony. When I sing along with Bloomie at the Harp on Sliabh Gallion Braes I am singing a harmony. I don’t have the talent to do spontaneous counterpoint.
Cheers,
David
My memory of their arrangement of the tune was more competing melodies; stand-alone parts. After listening to it again, it is closer to two-part harmony than counterpoint. Can’t say as I like it, or that it sounds very nice. Too f***ing bad for me, eh?
Perhaps that arrangement could be defined as counterpoint. I dunno. Your reply made it sound as if “harmony” was the incorrect term to use if there are only two parts. With that I have to disagree.
Not really…it’s a recording after all. You have the choice to listen to it or not. Not like you’re sitting in a session and some belligerent A-Soul started in with a harmony on a piece whether anyone liked it or not. 
Cheers,
David
An occassional short descant-type diversion from the norm is ok. It’s especially effective when it comes across as a sort of “wail”, a high pitched sustained note or a couple of notes. Done right it can give you goose bumps. Bands like Lunasa do it all the time. Hey, I just got a great idea. Next time I come to a section that I haven’t mastered yet, I’ll just do a wail instead.